From content creator to business enabler

In this plugged-in and socially connected age, we have grown to admire content creators — creative individuals who use their platform for entertainment, for selling, for education, and more. One such content creator is Real Talk Darbs, who I had the good fortune of speaking to in my podcast.

Most may know Darbie Kim Estrebillas as his online persona, Real Talk Darbs. Catapulted to online fame in 2020, Darbs has since expanded his lucrative role as content creator into, not one, but two more entrepreneurial avenues — selling personally branded food supplements and snacks, and establishing House Creatives. The latter is a swiftly growing company that enables other businesses to do what he has done so well: create content that clicks and sells online.

What I find genius about the evolution of Real Talk Darbs from content creator to business enabler and educator is how each of his businesses is a natural expression of his innate personality and passion.

CONTENT CREATION AS A SPRINGBOARD
Real Talk Darbs began his entrepreneurial journey as a content creator in 2020 when he resigned from a sales job in Dubai. It was just before the pandemic hit, and soon many workers around the world would be worried about job security. But Darbs recounted that he was ready for the challenge.

“I didn’t realize it at that time,” he said, “but that was the best time to quit because everybody was in their home listening to social media.”

He advised other entrepreneurs to “take that moment as an opportunity to really push forward because sometimes not having an option is a blessing.”

When Darbs started creating content on his page, he would be happy to make P3,000 from a single video. Soon, he was earning seven figures per month by the monetization of his content alone — a feat which is difficult to do these days, he quickly added, as the landscape has irrevocably changed.

This success didn’t come overnight. It was borne on the back of 10 years of struggle in Dubai, first as a call center customer service agent and then working in sales. And even before that, Darbs had struggled as a nursing student. But all the struggles led him to create the Real Talk Darbs page in 2018.

Many entrepreneurs say that they were lucky or they were simply in the right place at the right time. But not Darbs. “If somebody tells me right now that I’m lucky,” he said, “I’m gonna punch them in the face. No, I was not lucky.”

Through his long journey towards content creation, Darbs discovered that he had a gift, something inside him which he described as “innate.”

He said, “Mas maraming mas magaling sa akin na content creator. [There are many content creators who are better than me.] I truly believe my strength is [that] I’m able to transfer my knowledge eff��������Գٱ���.”

Darbs’ love and life advice on his channel has clearly found an audience. He credits his passion for his ability to create content that resonates. And it is this passion which would eventually lead him to other business ventures.

“I believe you can outperform other individuals if what is work for others is not work for you,” he said.

VENTURING INTO ONLINE SELLING
From there, Darbs didn’t stand still. He ventured into other businesses but these were still centered around his abilities as a content creator.

“I didn’t wait until the well dried up,” he said. “I dig another well while the other one is still working.”

With his ability to reach a wide audience, Darbs began to sell personally branded food supplements and snacks. He told the story of how his success selling products alone led to another breakthrough moment — and another business.

With just one video, he was able to sell P6 million worth of food supplements in 10 days — even without spending on ads. Darbs realized that he could share his newfound online selling knowledge with other business owners.

“I think there are businesses out there that if they just know this part, their business would explode,” he said. “And I think there’s a gap in that market.”

Darbs knew that he had something most business owners would want to have.

“In FB ads or paid ads right now, which most multi or billion businesses are built on, one thing is for certain, you need to have great creatives. So that’s where I come in.”

ENABLING BUSINESSES WITH HOUSE CREATIVES
For business number three, Darbs founded House Creatives, a company that is dedicated to “Create creators that influence transformation.”

In short, House Creatives is about education. It teaches other entrepreneurs how to create quality content that works.

This doesn’t mean going viral, Darbs insisted.

In his typically straightforward — yet strangely illuminating — manner, Darbs said, “Sa totoo lang, mabilis mag-viral. Kumain ka lang ng tae sa labas ng restaurant. [Truth be told, going viral is easy. Just eat shit outside a restaurant.] You can go viral. It’s hard to go viral if you’re pushing through the [brand] values, quality content, gourmet content.”

This gourmet content — in contrast to fast food content — is what House Creatives teaches.

Darbs continued: “Most of the time, people would not opt for gourmet content because it’s hard to do. Most of the time, the views are low. But in the long run, you develop quality viewers.”

Today’s content creation game isn’t just about views or impressions. It’s about quality — something that was rare five or 10 years ago. That’s why with House Creatives, Darbs focuses on “depth, not width.”

He explains, “Ang dami mo ngang followers (You have a lot of followers). Are they able to afford whatever it is that you’re selling? Just focus on the depth, the quality of the followers that you will have. Because at the end of the day, those are the people that could really impact other people’s lives as well.”

Today, House Creatives is rapidly growing, with plans to build their office later this year, which will enable them to expand to 60 employees. Darbs envisions House Creatives becoming a billion-peso company “hopefully in the next couple of years.”

In closing, Real Talk Darbs encourages other entrepreneurs to build their own “castle.”

“Having the opportunity to build your own castle is addicting,” he said. “Having the opportunity to build my own castle with my own bricks, that gave me a sense of fulfillment, even if it was difficult. Mind you, it was not easy. It was very, very difficult, but it was worth it.”

RJ Ledesma () is a Hall of Fame Awardee for Best Male Host at the Aliw Awards, a multi-awarded serial entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and business mentor, podcaster, an Honorary Consul, and editor-in-chief of The Business Manual. Mr. Ledesma can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. The RJ Ledesma Podcast is available on Facebook, Spotify, Google and Apple Podcasts. Are there entrepreneurs you want Mr. Ledesma to interview? Let him know at ledesma.rj@gmail.com